BALD HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
Cape Fear, North Carolina
This is the southern most light in North Carolina. Or maybe it's Oak Island. I haven't got a map that shows where Oak Island is relative to Smith Island. You can see it from the lantern room of Old Baldy as the locals are fond to call it.
You gotta take a walk-on ferry to Smith Island to see this historic site. No tourist cars allowed. Not many residential ones either. You'll find that ferry in Southport, NC. It isn't a far walk to the light, but you can rent electric golf carts at the ferry station on the island. I walked.
This is the second tower that was built in 1817. At least the sign says so. Other sources put the date in 1818. It is no longer active, having been decommissioned in 1935. It began to deteriorate over the years, but in 1986 a group called the Old Baldy Foundation took possession of the property and raised a bunch of money to restore it. I haven't found out whether it ever had a Fresnel lens. My only source said it used whale lamps and reflectors which generated enough light to be visible 18 miles out at sea.
The first tower was constructed in 1796 and was the first light to grace North Carolina's beautiful coast line. It fell over in a waterspout attack while the War of 1812 was raging.
I still have the Old Baldy sticker on the lens hood of my 80-400 zoom.
Here's how I saw it:
OB1
OB2
OB3
OB4
OB5
OB6
OB7
OB8
OB9
OB10
OB11
OB12
OB13
OB14
OB15
OF THE MOUNTAINS
John B Caddell
Copyright 2001